Facial scrubbing' weeding out ID fraud in NJ

TRENTON — A new, high tech software has helped authorities identify two city men who fraudulently obtained New Jersey Drivers Licenses, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (AOG).

Raymond Feeney, 51, and Kirk Bland, 50, have been indicted on charges of using personal information of another to obtain a driver’s license, tampering with public records and forgery. Feeney’s license was suspended on four driving while intoxicated convictions, Bland’s licenses were suspended on two unrelated DUIs.

“Nothing is foolproof. However, this is one of the most scientific ways to weed out fraud,” said OAG Spokesperson Mike Horan when referring to the initiative launched jointly by the OAG and the Motor Vehicle Commission, dubbed Operation Facial Scrub.

According to the joint task force, the facial recognition software “scrubbed” through 19 million registered driver profiles in the state’s database, beginning in December 2011. Through 2012, MVC security personally identified any duplicate photo records which could have stemmed from administrative errors or customer fraud. Of those, approximately 1,800 suspension cases were identified.

“Some of the 1,800 individuals may have been twins,” said Kevin O’Leary, Senior Product Manager for Facial Recognition at MorphoTrust, the company which licenses the proprietary software to the state. “Those individuals were called in and administratively the information was rectified.”

License suspensions were imposed on 146 individuals for alleged false identification and in addition, over 600 potential criminal cases have been referred to the Attorney General’s Office, according to the MVC.

The software uses advanced technology to identify license profiles with different names but similar pictures. “It takes the photos at in the DMV database and converts them to a numerical data file,” said O’Lear. “The software compares the numerical data files using biometric facial software and when the probably of the two faces being the same are high the software creates a case or a webpage which MVC personally investigate further,” said O’Leary.

According to a release from the OAG, the inititive has helped identified sex offenders who use the duplicate identification as a way to avoid registering with the Megan’s Law database, and commercial vehicle drivers who continue to operate large vehicles like busses or trucks, despite suspended licenses from DUI convictions.

The MVC continues to maintain the integrity of the database through a nightly scrub of all new photos taken at its 39 agencies statewide. This ensures that attempted fraud will be identified and stopped quickly, according to the attorney general.

“A driver’s license is a powerful document that enables the holder to open financial accounts, obtain and drive motor vehicles, and board airplanes,” said Attorney General Chiesa. “We know the 9/11 terrorists had fraudulent licenses from other states. By detecting individuals who have false licenses, law enforcement can potentially uncover other types of crime that these individuals may be involved in, including identity theft, financial fraud and even terrorism.”

The facial scrubbing initiative has also assisted other New Jersey State agencies to eliminate fraud and identify potential criminals and criminal activity.

Individuals who have been identified by the MVC are now added to a central clearinghouse website, the Aggregated Investigative Reporting Services (AIRS,) which shares information with strategic state partners such as the New Jersey State Department of Labor and the State’s Parole Board.

“A lot of things go beyond the walls of the Motor Vehicle Commission,” said Horan. “It’s not just benefitting us, but we go outside our walls and work with our partners to try and weed out fraud statewide.”